a. Field of Invention
The field of the invention is child resistant containers with safety caps developed to inhibit dispensing of potentially harmful or restricted contents by children. The invention relates generally to a child resistant container that is adapted to receive and to lock in a sprayer container with a top-positioned spay actuator. The device has a container body, an inner cap and an outer cap. The outer cap may be removed and inverted and then used to push up a spray container for user spray activation. The device is particularly beneficial as a retrofit child resistant container for potentially dangerous spray products to children; e.g., medicines, oven cleaners, etc.
b. Description of Related Art
The following patents are representative of the field pertaining to the present invention:
U.S. Pat. No. 6,964,336 B2 to John E. Harrold describes a child resistant container for stick applicators is described that is directed to keeping children out of the container prior to use, and to secure the container and its contents after use. In one embodiment, the container includes a combination cap and plug. The plug has a first and second position relative to the cap, and the cap is not removable when the plug is in its first position and pulled, and is removable when the plug is in its second position and pulled. In another embodiment, a plug cap cannot be removed from the container unless a bottom cap is rotated to go radial position and pushed in. When it is pushed into the tube container, the applicator functions as a push rod to open the top cap. The used applicator may be reinserted in an altered orientation, e.g., shortened or turned upside down and inserted, with the bottom cap pushed in, and the top cap reinserted into the top, access to the used applicator is inhibited.
U.S. Pat. No. 6,880,729 B2 to Gene Stull et al describes a secure lock for container packaging with a flexible retaining lip of various formations for sealing against material product flow distributions with the secure seal preventing tampering of, for example, a flexible walled container of material such as a medication, food stuff or art material. A resistant secure lock is provided which in one embodiment meets Federal Child Safety Standards providing a seal of flexible locking and unlocking which is resistant to a child's tampering. In one embodiment, a tamper resistant seal is formed for a squeezable container cap with a flexible hinging structure connecting a cap to a cap receptor base structure of a container to prevent a material product such as medicine from dispensing without disengaging the seal selectively to allow access to an aperture, yet with a directed flexion of a lip or head, the seal simply unsnaps from a tamper resistant state to release the flow of product through an aperture from a container.
U.S. Pat. No. 6,032,811 to Anthony Marconi describes a child resistant cap assembly that includes an outer cap member having a top wall and a substantially cylindrical side wall depending therefrom. On the exterior surface of the top wall is a key slot and an alignment aperture. An inner cap member for threadedly engaging a container neck is concentrically received within said outer cap member has a mark and key slot on its top wall. The outer cap member normally rotates independently of the inner cap member. When the outer cap member's alignment aperture registers with the mark on the inner cap member, the key slots are aligned allowing a key member to be inserted therethrough. Accordingly, the inserted key member is then rotated to simultaneously rotate the inner and outer cap. The top wall of the outer cap member also includes means for removably retaining the key thereon.
U.S. Pat. No. 6,029,835 to Stuart DeJonge describes a child resistant safety cap for containers that includes an outer cap, an inner cap, at least one retractable-extendable key arm and a biasing spring. The outer cap has a top and a sidewall with a plurality of openings for retraction and extension of the key arms therethrough, and the top has an engaging mechanism for engaging and disengaging the key arms. The inner cap is contained within the outer cap, has a sidewall and a top, with a slide mechanism for slideably attaching a plurality key of arms. The inner cap is a predetermined height less than the inside vertically slidable within the outer cap. The inner cap has a first vertical position away from the top of the outer cap wherein said engaging mechanism of the outer cap and the connecting mechanism of the plurality of key arms are disengaged, and the inner cap has a second vertical position, toward the top of the outer cap wherein the engaging mechanism and the connecting mechanism are engaged. The inner cap also has threading on its inside for screwing onto and off a threaded container.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,749,484 to Stanley D. Trout describes a child-resistant, tamper-evident closure for a container having an externally threaded neck finish includes a combination of inner and outer caps. The inner cap includes a tamper-evident band which is connected to the inner cap by frangible elements. The inner cap includes folded ratchet-like tabs which are locked in position behind an annular bead. The tabs are arranged so as to engage an annular lip on the neck finish. The outer cap snaps over the inner cap and includes a series of ratchet-like lugs which are directed toward the inner cap. The top surface of the inner cap includes a series of cooperating ratchet-like lugs. So long as a downward force is not excreted on the outer cap, the child-resistant arrangement permits the outer cap to turn relative to the inner cap in a counterclockwise direction. However, when a sufficient downward force is applied, the lugs of the outer cap are drawn into abutment with the cooperating lugs of the inner cap and the outer cap is used to remove the inner cap. In the clockwise direction, the lugs cooperate such that turning of the outer cap advances the inner cap into threaded engagement. In another embodiment, removal of the inner cap from the neck fish is achieved by ovalizing the outer cap so as to bring into engagement ribs on the inner cap with ribs on the inside surface of the sidewall of the outer cap.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,732,836 to Allan Barker et al. describes a closure for a container, including means for counting and indicating the number of times the closure has undergone a cycle of closing and opening the container, and further including means for incorporating the closure into means for resisting the opening of the container by a child. In a preferred embodiment, the closure includes an outer cover having an indicator symbol window an indicator symbol carrier rotatably mounted in the outer cover with indicator symbols visible through the indicator window, tooth and pawl means for allowing one-way rotation of the outer cover relative to the indicator symbol carrier to allow the advancement of the window and an audible click as the pawl passes over a tooth to confirm proper advancement, lost motion means for positively assuring the advancement of the window by one and only one indicator symbol upon each cycle, and a closure mechanism requiring the application of an axial force urging the closure toward the container while applying a rotational force to disengage the closure from the container.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,509,550 to Stuart DeJonge describes the child resistant cap device for containers with a threaded neck openings. It includes an inner cap, an outer cap and a key bar. The inner cap has a top and a sidewall having threads on its inside. The sidewall has on its outside, one of a male attaching mechanism and a female attaching mechanism for receiving and attaching the outer cap onto the inner cap so as to be rotatably fixed thereon. The top of the inner cap has a release key engagement on its outside, and the outside of the inner cap also has one way ratchets or ratchet blocks to permit engagement of the outer cap for rotating thereon, in a single, closing direction and preventing engagement of them for rotating them in a single, opposite, opening direction. The outer cap has a top and a sidewall having on its inside the other of a male attaching mechanism and a female attaching mechanism. The top of the outer cap has a release key bar with a key which is pivotable for 180° rotation so as to be engageable with the key arrangement of the inner cap so as to permit opening of the inner cap by rotation of the outer cap when the release key is engaged in the release key engagement.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,381,912 to Linda A. Walker describes an improved child-resistant package allowing improved access and closure by the user is provided. The improved package is of the press-and-turn type and features ramped gripping portions on the perimeter of the side of the press-and-turn cap and on the bottle.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,854,459 to Antonia DeJonge describes the present invention involves a container and cap which is generally childproof and may be rendered non-childproof permanently. The invention involves a container having a cylindrical neck at the top and threads molded about the exterior of the neck as well as an inner cap and outer cap. The inner cap has a top and a cylindrical side wall with threads molded on the inside of the side wall so as to mate with the threads of the container. The top or side of the inner cap has ratchet type segments on its outside and the outer cap has ratchet type segments on the inside of its top or side. The outer cap has a cylindrical side wall and is usually freely rotatable about the inner cap so as to be childproof. When in the childproof configuration as described, downward pressure is required by the user so as to engage the two ratchet type segments and thereby engage the two caps to permit opening. Further, the outer cap has an opening in its side wall at a lever near the bottom of the side wall of the inner cap and also has integrally attached thereto a flexible connector and stop. The flexible connector and stop are located so as to permit insertion of the stop into the opening so as to extend beyond the opening and push up the inner cap so as to permanently lock it into a position wherein the inner cap and outer cap ratchet type segments are permanently engaged. This renders the cap permanently non-childproof.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,555,035 to Eugene Davis describes a closure for a container. The closure is provided with a tunnel member into which any appropriate implement such as the handle of a teaspoon can be inserted when it is desired to manipulate the closure e.g. for opening. The provision of the tunnel member is of great assistance to people lacking in manual dexterity.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,333,589 to Randall Bush describes a child-resistant overcap for a pressurized container, such as an aerosol can, having a valve with an axially protruding discharge nozzle which must be depressed to actuate the valve for discharging the contents of the container. The overcap includes a valve guard moveable between an outer position in which a portion of the guard overlies the nozzle for preventing actuation thereof and an inner position in which the nozzle can be depressed. The overcap includes a resilient portion of the guard which biases the guard toward outer position and which must be overcome in order to move the guard to inner position and which returns the guard to outer position when the guard is released.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,325,497 to Ronald Ewald describes a child resistant spray through cover assembly for aerosol and similar containers. The cover assembly is adapted to be applied to a container having a conventional actuator button with a discharge outlet in which the actuator button discharges when it is moved axially toward the container. The cover assembly includes a housing which is adapted to fit over the actuator button and to be securely attached to the container. An opening is formed in the housing to allow the passage of spray discharge through the discharge outlet of the actuator button. A moveable flap is mounted on the housing and extends over the actuator button. The flap is moveable upon the application of force thereto by a finger of a user between a first position in which it is located out of actuating engagement with the actuator button and a second position in which it is in actuating engagement with the actuator button. A locking mechanism is provided to retain the flap in its first position. A finger engaging mechanism is provided for releasing the locking mechanism to permit the flap to be moved to its second position. A mechanism is provided on the flap for depressing the actuator button when the flap is moved to its second position. A spring arrangement is provided to return the flap to its first position and the locking mechanism to locking engagement with the flap when the application of force to the flap is discontinued so that the child resistant features of the cover assembly are automatically restored after the use and without any active participation of the user.
U.S. Pat. No. 3,831,804 to John Richard Focht describes an aerosol safety cap for an aerosol container including inner and outer telescoping members. The outer member includes dependant resilient locking means which snap under the interior of the annular bead of the mounting cup of the aerosol container to affix the outer member to the container. When the inner member is telescoped into the outer member, it prevents the resilient locking means from being inwardly deflected thereby preventing removal of the cap assembly from the container. Withdrawal of the inner telescopic member permits deflection of the depending locking means to permit removal of the cap from the container. The inner membrane cannot be withdrawn without the aid of a prying instrument such as a coin. The cap can be doubly locked by rotating the inner member with respect to the outer member with an instrument such as a coin into a position in which it can be pried upwardly.
Notwithstanding the prior art, the present invention is neither taught nor rendered obvious thereby.